A letter to BlackLGBTQ+ folx
A Flower is never unseen by the Sun.
We are at once That which reveals the ephemerality of shadows and That which gracefully pauses dreams to kiss the yellow dwarf at the center of life.
Dear Us,
We have never been and will never be invisible- We see Us.
Because we exist we can be sure that there is always someone holding Us.
As surely as we rise each day as/with the Sun, someone grows Us.
We heal Us.
We continue Us; We continue them too.
We love Us.
We and our love will always be enough.
You are much larger than language, thus, much too powerful a thing that is only acquired.
You are too vast to exist solely to be learned.understood.
(then, consumed. temporarily worn.discarded.)
Things that are much larger than language cannot be learned, They create.
You cannot be articulated, you control the articulation.
My love,
You exist too largely for language. Even the alphabet collapses under your weight.
You are the answer to the many questions others haven’t even learned to ask.
Questions about freedom too complex for their mouths to speak.
Too free to be trapped in their minds; Cognition fails them.
You live outside societal constraints flowing from whiteness and heteronormativity.
You are the most human human.
Nobody can dip like You.
Your body isn’t defined.
You define.
Your slayage is peerless.
You caaaarrrry.
You are unique in your ability to enact a radical love spacious enough for those only the wise enjoy seeing.
Keep being.
You are not misunderstood, because you understand you.
You love you.
You and your love will always be enough.
You’re the greatest gift you’ve ever received.
What becomes possible when we acknowledge the pain that anti-Blackness and anti-LGBTQ+“ness” have introduced into our lives, while simultaneously exploring our gifts?
The challenges we encounter are real. The pain they bring are real, as is the suffering. And in our lives tragedy may exist. But our lives are not tragedies. We are gifted.
Yes, being disowned by family hurts. But an aptitude to create and redefine family is incredible. That, too, is us. We breathe life into us, thwarting attempts at suffocation led by the unfree.
And let me be clear: this is not a call to overlook the very real discrimination we know too well, but a charge to also remember our genius and power to embody and enact radical love in a world in which the bereft believe we are disposable.
We are enough. We know we exist. We know we are human. Our knowing these things suffices.
Let us move beyond the desire to expend our precious energy trying to prove our humanity to anyone. We are much too special to resign ourselves to living a life characterized by serving those who fear freedom. They need us. They are well aware that we have been instrumental in any movement that has ever existed for liberation. Our pain gives them purpose but our radical love gives us all hope. But let us remember: We ain’t gotta prove shit to them. They have the problem. And some of us may choose to help them with their unlearning, but that’s their work. Know that we have a choice. We can choose to create. To play with joy. To saunter about our world accompanied by laughter. To fall asleep underneath the stars and wake up to kiss happiness. To live. We can choose to live.
A Flower is never unseen by the Sun.
We are at once That which reveals the ephemerality of shadows and That which gracefully pauses dreams to kiss the yellow dwarf at the center of life.
We are enough.
We are you.
You are much larger than language, thus, much too powerful a thing that is only acquired.
You are too vast to exist solely to be learned.understood.
(then, consumed. temporarily worn.discarded.)
Things that are much larger than language cannot be learned, They create.
You cannot be articulated, you control the articulation.
You are enough.
You are me.
I wake up every day and marvel at our power.
Our very existence opens up the truths of this earth.
We live outside imaginary lines, traversing multiple worlds.
The world that is and the world that must be.
How beautiful we are. To be radical BlackLGBTQ+ love in human form.
To be love in human form.
To be human.
Black LGBTQ+ folx: I see you & knowing that we exist sustains my hope. Feel free to use the comment box below to continue this letter to us. Voice submissions are also welcome. I will periodically update the letter with our additions.